NBA free agency: Clippers reach deal with Serge Ibaka after losing Montrezl Harrell
The Los Angeles Clippers have reportedly found their Montrezl Harrell replacement.
Free agent big man Serge Ibaka agreed to a deal with the Clippers on Saturday, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
Free agent Serge Ibaka has agreed to a deal with the Los Angeles Clippers, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 22, 2020
The deal is a mid-level exception pact for two years and $19 million, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. The second year of the deal will reportedly be a player option.
Clippers reunite Serge Ibaka and Kawhi Leonard
In Ibaka, the Clippers are getting a big man who can give them minutes at the 4 and 5 off the bench while offering strong defense and 3-point shooting. Ibaka averaged 15.4 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game last season with the Raptors, shooting 38.5 percent from 3-point range.
That’s just what the team needed after losing both Harrell and JaMychal Green in free agency, the former to their crosstown rival Los Angeles Lakers and latter to the Denver Nuggets on Friday.
The Clippers managed to retain starting power forward Marcus Morris on a four-year, $64 million deal, but they had been left with a gaping lack of depth behind him and starting center Ivica Zubac.
Both the Raptors and Brooklyn Nets had reportedly been in pursuit of Ibaka, but the 31-year-old will instead reuinte with Kawhi Leonard, with whom he won an NBA championship in 2019. The Clippers could likely benefit from adding another big man, but Ibaka is a strong start.
More from Yahoo Sports: